Ramadan: Customs Boss Urges Personnel to Elevate Community Spirit

Oluwakemi Kindness

The Comptroller-General of Customs (CGC), Adewale Adeniyi, has called on officers and stakeholders to embrace the spirit of service, discipline, and charity as essential values during the holy month of Ramadan and beyond.

He made this known during the Iftar by Trade Modernisation Project (TMP) Limited held at the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.

According to a statement by Customs spokesperson Abdullahi Maiwada, CGC Adeniyi underscores the significance of piety, self-discipline, and devotion, noting that fasting offers an opportunity to develop a more profound sense of empathy for the less privileged.

“Charity teaches us to care for the less privileged. Beyond personal devotion and the discipline we cultivate during this period, fasting allows us to experience, even if briefly, what those who cannot afford to eat go through daily,” he said.

The Customs boss also highlightes the unique spiritual alignment between Ramadan and Lent, stating that the simultaneous observance of both fasting periods by Muslims and Christians presents a unified experience of sacrifice and reflection.

“For the second or third time in a row, we are witnessing Ramadan running simultaneously with the Lent period. What this means is that, at one time, all of us are experiencing the discipline of giving up food and drink, helping us understand the struggles of those who lack basic needs. Therefore, this is a period to think about our communities and obligations to those around us,” CGC Adeniyi noted.

He links this principle of selflessness and service to the Nigeria Customs Service’s new Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programme, “Customs Cares,” which focuses on community development, education, healthcare, and social investments.

The CGC prays for divine blessings, peace, and prosperity for Nigeria and wished all officers and stakeholders to witness many more Ramadan seasons in good health.

“May Almighty Allah grant us the opportunity to witness many more Ramadan seasons in our lives. We pray for a better Nigeria and that our acts of service will contribute to a more compassionate and united nation,” he concluded.

Earlier in his remarks, the Chairman of TMP, Saleh Ahmadu, appreciates the gathering for honoring the invitation and prayed that God Almighty would reward each and every person abundantly.

The event, attended by hundreds of senior and junior officers and stakeholders from various organisations, provided a platform for reflecting on Ramadan’s lessons and the importance of giving back to the community.